Antonio Cesar needed less than one round to hand Joshua Perreira the first defeat of his professional career. The 22-year-old Brazilian stopped the previously unbeaten American at ONE Fight Night 48 on Friday, October 2, live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The result extended Cesar's winning streak to 10 and moved his ONE record to 2-0.
The opening exchanges were even, with both men trading kicks. Perreira landed a crisp elbow, but Cesar answered with a heavy overhand right and secured a takedown just over two minutes into the round.
Perreira returned to his feet, only for Cesar to catch a kick and put him back on the canvas. The Brazilian then unloaded a sustained stretch of ground-and-pound, capped by a grounded knee in the closing seconds of the round.
When the bell sounded, Perreira struggled to rise and wobbled back to his corner. Referee Olivier Coste immediately called for the doctor, and the contest was waved off after the medical evaluation.
Cesar had prepared specifically for Perreira's tendency to engage on the feet and work with his hands. He said the American offered nothing he had not already accounted for in camp.
"Basically, the game plan was to get there and to feel the fight and do it in my own Brazilian way. The game plan was also to do a bit more of a striking game, and it was a bit of everything, but finally I got to win by the striking game," Cesar said.
"I knew that Joshua would do the striking game. He would do a lot of hands and all that. So it was something that I had been training for. So there was no surprise, and I managed to do what I planned."
The victory places Cesar firmly in the conversation around reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Avazbek "Ninzya" Kholmirzaev. The Brazilian, however, wants one more test before calling for a title shot, and he has suggested next year as his target for a World Title opportunity.
Former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya "Little Piranha" Wakamatsu is the opponent he has in mind for that next step.
"Yeah, of course it would be interesting. I would be ready to fight with Yuya," Cesar said.
